Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is the owner of Bad Boy Entertainment, has, in a move that has rocked the hip-hop community and the music business as a whole, given back the publishing rights to the artists and songwriters who were responsible for the label’s successes.
Deals to publish the works of Faith Evans, Ma$e, the LOX, 112, and the estate of the Notorious B.I.G. have already been signed by these artists.
There are still negotiations going on about contracts with additional Bad Boy artists.
The procedure was allegedly initiated in May 2021, when Diddy rejected a nine-figure bid to sell Bad Boy’s music collection. This was the beginning of the process.
In recent years, the music catalogs of renowned artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Luther Vandross, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Bob Dylan were sold for millions of dollars, which has made them a very desirable commodity.
It is not beyond the range of possibility that a library such as Bad Boy’s, which is full of hits, may be among those that reach the unattainable value of hundreds of millions of dollars.
It would seem that, for a change, Diddy was more concerned about the artists than he was about his bank account.
“The rationale for this boils down to wanting to revolutionize the industry with this to empower artists and to switch up the dynamic.”
Because Combs has not always had the finest reputation when it comes to the way he has handled the careers of his musicians in the past, this is an especially noteworthy development.
In March of 2022, he replied to former Da Band member Freddy P’s charges that working with the “Last Night” rapper contributed to his mental health troubles with a blistering and reckless Instagram post, which is what led to his coming under criticism.
Freddy P had claimed that working with the rapper was the cause of his mental health issues. “PLEASE PUT AN END TO ALL OF YOUR CRYING, BITING, AND MOANING. Diddy said in the message, “HUSTLE HARDER OR GET THE F**K OUT OF OUR WAY.”
In addition, he and Ma$e have been engaged in a fight for several years about publishing and money, during which time each of them has publicly insulted and accused the other of various wrongdoings.
Cam’Ron, the co-host of the Harlem World rapper’s podcast, was the one who, to everyone’s surprise, was the one who delivered the news that the publication rights had been returned.
He sent the following message on Instagram on Wednesday: “My nigga murder had to sit this one out. Puff just gave him back his manuscript for publication.
Yesterday was the last day I needed to work on the paperwork for that. Best of luck, @rsvpmase! During the time that he spends organizing his music, I’ll be clearing up the pause on my hard drive. The missing files, volume 1, September 8″
This is a huge victory that acknowledges the artists’ contributions to the success of the record company and its leader, which is especially meaningful to those musicians who believe that Combs has disregarded and abused them throughout their careers with the label.
And just in case you forgot, Diddy is also a master promoter, so it’s no coincidence that this news is coming out right before his new project, The Love Album: Off the Grid, is released on September 15, before he receives the Global Icon Award at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, and before he does a big splashy performance that could feature appearances from many of these same Bad Boy artists.
The Love Album: Off the Grid is scheduled for release on September 15. Believe me when I say that he is completely competent on the matter at hand.
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